The health of pupils of LEA Primary School in Nyanya-Gwandara, Nasarawa State is in danger as more than 740 of them share only two toilets. ...
The health of pupils of LEA Primary School in Nyanya-Gwandara, Nasarawa State is in danger as more than 740 of them share only two toilets.
Mr Akwe Omadefu, the Headmaster of the school made the revelation in Nyanya-Gwandara when a team of officials of the Network of Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN) visited the school, as part of their activities to commemorate the 2018 Menstrual Hygiene Management Day.
He said that the dearth of toilets and a perimeter fence around the school had negatively affected school attendance and pupils’ enrolment.
“You can see the surroundings; the school is not fenced and we have been trying all we can to make the state government to come to our aid and fence the school.
“When this done, we will be able to control the movement of pupils in the school. This is very important because some of the pupils do not usually return to school after the end of the break time.
“We have only two toilets here: one for males and the other for the female pupils. We don’t have potable water; the school authorities have to buy water from water vendors,’’ he said.
The head teacher said that the scarcity of toilets in the school had somewhat promoted open defecation around the school premises, adding that this explained why the surrounding area of the school was dirty and foul-smelling.
Omadefu solicited the provision of toilets and perimeter fence as well as teaching and learning materials for the school, saying that this would encourage the pupils to stay in school and face their studies.
The National Coordinator of NEWSAN, Mr Benson Attah, who bemoaned the situation in the school, said that the school was in dire need of facilities that would encourage learning and discourage open defecation.
Attah said that it was saddening to note that such a school existed, despite its proximity to Abuja, the nation’s capital.
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